Catherine Pollard

Under-Secretary-General Catherine Pollard

Catherine Pollard (born in 1960 in Georgetown, Guyana) is the Coordinator for Multilingualism for the United Nations. She served as Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management.

Biography

Ms. Catherine Pollard assumed office as Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management on Tuesday, 1 December 2015. She was appointed to this position by the United Nations Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon on Friday, 27 November 2015.[1] She was then appointed as Coordinator for Multilingualism on 17 December 2015 replacing Tegegnework Gettu.[2]

Previously, Ms. Pollard has served as Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management since September 2014. Before joining the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), she was Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management since 2008. While in that position, she represented the Secretary-General on human resource management issues, providing advice on wide-ranging strategies and policies. She has led human resources reform initiatives and the introduction of new policies during her tenure including as Co-Chair of the Chief Executive Board/Human Resources Network for the United Nations common system.

Prior to joining the Office of Human Resources Management, Ms. Pollard was Chief of Staff in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and before that, the Director of the Peacekeeping Finance Division in the Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts.

Ms. Pollard’s career in the United Nations began in 1989 when she worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the Chief of National Execution Projects. In 1993, she joined the Department for Peacekeeping Operations, then worked as Chief Budget Officer for the United Nations Operations in Yugoslavia and Central Headquarters. Thereafter, she served as Chief of the Budget and Finance Section of the United Nations Volunteers.

Ms. Pollard brings a proven track record of valuable experience in conference management, financial, human resource and general administrative management. During her 26 years with the United Nations, she acquired a solid foundation of the United Nations culture, organizational and operational structures, global initiatives and reform efforts in accordance with the Secretary-General’s priorities and strategies. In each of her assignments at senior levels, she has helped to effect real improvements in management practices, moving away from the status quo.

Born in 1960, Ms. Pollard holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.